


Anywhere You Are Is Where I Wanna Be

by queenkorri



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Friendship, Identity Reveal, and the frick, it gone be real good, they do the smooch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-22
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-05-28 11:10:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6326689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenkorri/pseuds/queenkorri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette and Adrien are close friends, some would even go to say that they are best friends, others would say they're a bit more than just friends... and Adrien? Adrien just honestly wanted everyone to stop ogling at his friend's cute butt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. That Feel When You Fuck Up

It was a nice day. The kind of day with blue skies, a bright yellow sun and big fluffy clouds that were just begging to be plucked right out of the sky.

The perfect day to spend with your best friend.

Adrien smiled softly to himself as he packed away his items into his locker. His golden hair swooping a bit uncontrollably after the events in gym class and he had yet to tame it.

The final year of _lycée_ was coming to a close, the students a buzz with the plans they had for the upcoming summer vacation and anxious for the prospect of adulthood ahead of them. Final exams and papers caused a frantic air to run rampant throughout the student body and teachers alike.

But there was nothing like a good game of football to relieve the tension.

Along with the craziness of finals came a sort of honed focus that would scare anyone who wasn’t going through the same thing, so after going through the routine and required exercises, the gym teacher pulled out a round, white and black checkered ball as a sly grin crept onto her round face.

 

“It’s game time, kids.”

 

And they were off, the teams decided without seemingly any communication (boys v. girls) and anyone who didn’t play fulfilled the role of cheerleader (some more reluctantly than others).

And that was how the rest of class went, the bright sun burning their backs, reflecting the sweat on their foreheads and creating a warm, swarming feeling in everyone’s guts. It was for the first time in a long time that anyone really felt relaxed.

After the game (where the girls thoroughly wiped the floor clean and handed the boys’ asses to them), the boys piled into the bathrooms to freshen up, spirits high even after losing. It had been a good game.

Adrien’s smile only grew thinking back to what happened; the sharp, tinkling laughter, the light hearted taunts and jabs being thrown back and forth between the two teams, and the smiles that seemed to invade his friends and classmates faces. He and Nino tried their best to play offense, keeping their eyes solely on the ball, but Alya had “accidentally” fumbled and toppled on top of Nino more than once and Adrien wasn’t sure if she was strategizing or just looking for the perfect chance to feel up her boyfriend.

It was the tinkling laughter that would bubble out of a certain black haired friend of his that would continue to distract him for the duration of the game.

 

Marinette.

 

After their final year of _collège_ , he and Marinette began to become closer. She stuttered less around him and would reply snarkily to a pun every now and then. It seemed Adrien’s efforts to befriend the shy (yet incredibly extraordinary girl) had finally seemed to be working (he _knew_ his shoulder touch powers could never fail him) and with more and more time they spent together, he only grew to realize how kind and sweet and _lively_ Marinette was.

He may have gained a little crush…

Okay.

So maybe it wasn’t so little.

And maybe it wasn’t _just_ a crush…

 

….

 

….

 

….

 

He was in love with her.

But he _couldn’t_ help it. No matter how hard the young teen tried to deny his budding feelings for his close friend he couldn’t help but to think about how her eyes twinkled when she was talking about a new design she was working on, the slight quirk of her lips when she _knew_ she was going to win a round of their favorite video game, or the sweetness that slipped into her voice whenever she was helping her parents around the bakery. Whenever the thought of his black haired friend entered his mind, his budding feelings bloomed ever so slightly. The petals of affection unfurling into adoration and appreciation, the color of baby pink friendship darkening into something… _more_ , into something… _red_...

Then there was the matter of his feelings for Ladybug.

Adrien sighed, having finally gotten his stuff in order, making his way out of the school to go to Marinette’s.

It wasn’t that… he didn’t _love_ Ladybug anymore, in fact it was the complete opposite. He loved her, he did! … It was just that… as the years went by and Chat Noir faced rejection with every confession, even his small victories with Ladybug couldn’t keep him warm at night. Adrien found himself randomly thinking of Marinette throughout the day and he found that his rose colored glasses had changed their shade.

Adrien would _always_ love Ladybug, she was brave and cunning, and incredibly strong.

But Marinette…

 

Marinette was real.

 

As much as he wanted to be, Adrien couldn’t be Chat all the time and neither could Ladybug. He would have to hide every aspect of himself as Adrien just to be with her, he wouldn’t be able to tell her how conflicted he felt about his father, about how he and Nino snuck out and played in the park like five year olds, or about what happened in class.

She wouldn't let him. He’d already tried.

Marinette already knew all of this, and _so_ much more.

 

Marinette knew how to comfort him after a long day of modelling for his father.

 

Marinette knew how much he liked naps in the middle of the day and let him sleep over whenever he had lunch free.

 

Marinette-

 “-has such a _great_ ass, bro!”

Adrien turned his head sharply, his hand resting on the door handle tightening instantly.

 

“ _Duuuuude_. I know! God, can the girl fill in a pair of shorts.”

 

“Pfffft, if you wanna call them that! I could almost see her underwear!”

 

“Dude, really?!”

 

Oh no. _No no nonononooooo._ This was not happening. Not now. No way. Nuh-uh.

 

“Maaaaahaaaan. The _things_ I would do to that _ass._ ”

 

“Seeeerrriously. She’s so cute, too. With her hair always in pigtails? Imagine the noises she would make while tugging on them. Mmf!”

Adrien took in a deep breath. It wasn’t like he _wasn’t_ used to this. Marinette was cute. Anyone who met the girl instantly fell in love with her, but as she grew up, the comments about her body became more and more…. _Lewd._

 “...D’you think she’d be into butt stuff?”

 

“DUDE?!”

 

“What?”

 

“...whatever dude… she’s got a banging ass but _I’d rather be banging her, if you know what I mean~”_

 

Any calm Adrien had gained was thrown out the window. He couldn’t listen to this anymore, or let anyone speak about his friend that way, it was just… it was disgusting!

 

“Hey!” Adrien raised his voice, letting the half opened door slam behind him as he made his way over to the boys crowding by the lockers.

 

“Oh, hey Adrien! What’s up?”

 

Adrien smiled (though it came across more like a grimace) as politely as he could, his shoulders tense and his jaw clenched.

 

“I heard you guys were talking about Marinette?”

 

The ease of the day dissipated instantly with that sentence, the tension between the guys palpable and thick.

 

“Hah,” One of them breathed out nervously, “Sh’yeah? So?”

 

Adrien could feel his eyebrow twitch in frustration, did these guys seriously think this was okay?

 

“I heard the things you guys were saying and … seriously? Not cool, guys. Could you… stop? Please? I’d _really_ appreciate it.”

 

Adrien glanced over each face with a disappointed look that could be read upon his own, he considered some of the people in this group to be good friends of his. He honestly couldn’t believe that they were contributing to this conversation.

 

“Hah, sorry man.”

 

Adrien sighed, a look of relief spread across his face. “Just please don’t do it again.” Adrien nodded to the group of guys before glancing down at his phone, he was supposed to meet Marinette outside a few minutes ago. It was video game day.

He began walking back over to the locker room’s exit when he heard one of the boys call after him.

 

“We didn’t know the boyfriend of the hottest girl in school was so pussy whipped!”

 

Adrien halted.

He really didn’t have time for this.

The tall blonde sighed. “She’s not my girlfriend. Even if she was, it wouldn’t matter if I was pussy whipped.” He paused, the tension noticeable throughout his whole body. “You shouldn’t. Be talking about her. Like that.” Adrien hadn’t even realized that he began to clench his fists until his blunt fingernails dug into his skin, leaving half moons in their wake.

 

“Woah, there bro! Okay! Okay! We won’t talk about your _girlfriend_ anymore-”

 

“We’re not like that.” Adrien huffed dejectedly. _‘No matter how much I want us to be.’_

 

“Oh come on!” Piped up another boy (the one who had been talking about butt stuff… asshole), “You can’t expect us to believe that you haven’t hit that _at least_ once.”

 

Adrien was quickly beginning to lose his cool, he honestly couldn’t understand why these idiots couldn’t get through their thick heads that Marinette, nor any girl for that matter, should not be talked about like… like she was some glorified blow up doll! And why did they keep calling her his girlfriend? Yes, he was in love with her but he had no idea if she even _remotely_ felt that way towards him. It just wasn’t okay to insinuate those kinds of things; he didn’t want to interfere with Marinette’s love life just because he apparently wasn’t as good at hiding his feelings for her like he thought he was.

 

“No.” Adrien ground through his teeth. “I already told you. We’re not like that. And I asked once and I thought it was understood that _you’re not to talk about her like that._ ”

 

Adrien just wanted to get this over with, forget this ever happened and get his ass handed to him by Marinette.

 

Jeez. Maybe he was pussy whipped.

 

“Well,” A boy from a younger year spoke up, “What are you gonna do about it?”

 

Adrien snapped his head towards the mosquito-like voice, his eyebrows furrowed  as he prowled closer to the group with the gait of a cat.

 

“ _What?_ ” The infuriated boy hissed.

 

“What can you do?” The boy asked again, a tentative smile sliding onto his face. “You’re not her boyfriend. And she’s hot. We’re not the only guys in the school that talk about her.”

 

That shook Adrien. What was this kid saying? What, were they only going to respect Marinette if she was “claimed”? What was _wrong_ with these guys?!

 

“You obviously like her. So why not ask her out? Make everyone stop talking about her.”

 

Adrien hesitated. He couldn’t do that to Marinette. He spent so _long_ making sure that she was comfortable with him. Now, he finally has the friendship he’d been craving for years and he wasn’t about to risk that just because he couldn’t control his emotions. “She’s just my friend. It’s not that way between us.”

 

“You keep saying that but I don’t know if you believe that.”

 

“Shut up.” Adrien growled. He didn’t have time for this. Marinette had been waiting for him for about 10 minutes now and he didn’t want to keep her waiting any longer. He could see he wasn’t going to get anywhere with these jerks. The model turned with a huff and began walking away from the group.

 

“You think you’re better than us Agreste? We know you think about her that way too.”

 

Adrien froze, his hands clutching the strap of his messenger bag. His shoulders somehow scrunching up even farther towards his ears. He could find no way to defend himself because…

 

They weren’t wrong.

 

“Yeah Adrien!” One started up, once he saw the reaction the other jab rose out of the usually put together young man. “Tell us all the nasty stuff you’d do to her if she’d let you~”

 

“I bet you think about her before you go to sleep at night. God, you’ve been closer to her than any of us have.”

 

“Have you seen her naked?!”

 

“You’re just as bad as us Agreste boy. You wanna fuck her brains out just as badly as anyone else in this school.” The sneer could be heard clearly in the teen’s voice. “ _You’re no better._ ”

 

“SHUT UP!” Adrien had had _enough_ . This wasn’t fair. All he had tried to do was stick up for his friend and now he was being psychologically analyzed by some hormone-crazed teenage boys who didn’t even have the decency to respect his friend simply because she was a fucking _person._

 

“JUST SHUT UP, OKAY?” He growled turning towards the group. “You don’t know me. You don’t know her. You don’t know _us_ . Our relationship is _none_ of your business.” His voice carried a threatening tone, his face twisted into a scowl. “So, just shut up! I don’t like her. She doesn’t like me. I DON’T think about her that way. She’s _just_ my friend. That’s it. _Nothing more._ So, just… fuck, leave us alone.” He huffed out, exhausted. He felt terrible for lying; to himself, to these jackasses, but if that’s what it took to get these dumbasses to leave him and his best friend alone, then so be it. Either way, it seemed to work, if their shocked faces and agape mouths were anything to go by.

 

“Oh…”

 

Adrien turned sharply towards the voice he heard behind him and suddenly it seemed as if the whole world was crashing in around him. It was cold, even though the weather was pleasantly warm outside.

There stood Marinette, her wide eyes reflecting the bright sky outside, the roundness of the sun found in the word that she uttered still lingering on her lips, her hand clutching tightly to her cloudy white blouse.

 

“Okay.” She murmured, her eyes downcast.

 

“Marinette-” He reached out to her but she flinched, stopping him in his tracks. “I- Mari, I… I can explain.”

 

The smaller girl held her hand up and stopped him. “It’s fine.” She muttered, her body already halfway out the door. “Um… you don’t have to come over today.”

 

And then she ran.

 

“Shit.”

 

It was a nice day. The perfect day to fuck up. 


	2. You Used to Call Me on My Cellphone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello from the other siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the great response to this fic! I was honestly very surprised, but I'll be sure to try my best not to disappoint! Thanks again to Krib and Jen for doing the beta thing and making sure this shit makes sense. <3 Also for silly feels I recommend listening to Hot Line Bling throughout Marinette's section and for intense feels I recommend listening to this throughout the whole chapter since it's what helped me write: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDWuqrJAyGw

No.

 

No no no _no_.

 

This is the exact opposite of what he wanted.

 

“Marinette! Wait!” He yelled after her but she was already gone by the time he reached outside. His eyes lingered over to the bakery. He knew he could walk in and ask Tom and Sabine to let him see her, but… after hearing what she must have heard, he doubted that she would even want to talk. He sighed heavily. _‘So much for trying to be a good friend.’_ He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to The Gorilla to come and pick him up. Guess, he was going to his photo shoot earlier than expected. At least his Father would be thrilled… if the man could even feel that emotion.

 

The Gorilla pulled up not too long after, the statuesque man grunted a greeting towards the model teen before opening the car door for him.

 

Adrien sighed as he settled into his seat. He really wanted to talk to Marinette but… He knew she needed some time.

 

They would figure this out. It would be fine.

-

Everything was not fine. Marinette had barely uttered a greeting to her parents before running up to her loft and diving onto her chaise, her bed too much of a hassle to get to and sulk in.

 

Adrien didn't like her.

 

It's not like it should’ve bothered her. She had been trying to get over her stupid crush on the boy ever since the beginning of _lycée_ . She realized she rather liked the comfort of his friendship a lot more than the risk of a romantic relationship with him. But, try as she might she was never truly successful. Each new thing she learned about him throughout the years just made her fall _even more_ in love with him. She loved the way he wholeheartedly enjoyed anime and the way he crinkled his nose whenever he was having difficulty in a video game and the squeaky noise he made at those _stupid_ jump scares and-

 

Marinette harshly wiped at her eyes, feeling silly for crying over something like this.

 

She just…

 

She had hoped… That maybe he might come to love her if he knew _her._ Not just the stumbling, shy girl from their younger years who could barely form a sentence around him, but _Marinette_ , whom in all just wanted to be closer to Adrien.

 

The small girl groaned loudly, choking back a sob as she pulled her cell phone out of her bag.

 

She needed to talk to someone.

-

Adrien pulled out his phone for what had to be twentieth time that day.

 

No calls.

 

No messages.

 

Nothing from Marinette.

 

The tall teen groaned and threw himself onto his bed, phone still in his grasp as he stared forlornly at the latest conversation between him and Marinette sweetly (bitterly) titled “Princess”.

 

_Princess:_

_{Sooo… ready to get your ass kicked ;P}_

 

[Hah! Whatever~ I’ll beat you someday ;)]

 

_Princess:_

_{Pffft doubt it XD}_

 

Adrien sighed heavily, “This sucks.”

 

Plagg wiggled and squirmed out from under Adrien’s weight, quickly zipping over to a dish of camembert the distressed teen had left for him on the coffee table. The kwami opened his mouth wide, licked his lips, and nibbled eagerly on the delectable delicacy (in his case, at the very least).

 

“Why not just call her?” Plagg asked simply as bits of cheese fell from his mouth.

 

Adrien moaned, dramatically burrowing further into his bed, “Don’t you think I thought of that?”

 

“Not really, since you _haven’t done it yet_.”

 

“But she needs time.”

 

“She _needs_ to know that you messed up.”  The kwami argued. Plagg had been more than tired of the sulky mood his charge had been in. The constant sighing was starting to get annoying. He could barely deal with the boy’s romantic gasps and releases of breath, but hearing him sound so _dejected_ … It didn't sit well with the kwami. Plus, the boy forgot to feed him enough as it was, this… _dilemma_ would only make things worse for the cheese loving being. “Plus she’s _not_ going to call you, especially after what you said.”

 

Adrien moaned again, desperately wanting to bang his head on the hardest surface he could find (he had more than enough resources). He instead settled for picking his head up dramatically and letting it flop down precariously onto his pillow. The events of the day rushing back to him, the stress of their physics finale, the release of gym class, and then… _it_.

 

The moment in his life where he had truly and wholeheartedly _fucked._ **_up._ **

 

Her image burned in his brain, and the more he thought about it, the more hurt and betrayed she looked. Plagg definitely had a point, but should he even bother calling? There was no guarantee she would answer.

 

“So what if she doesn't answer?” Plagg stated, rubbing at his full stomach. Had Adrien said that out loud? “The least you can do is try.”

 

Adrien sighed.

 

Plagg was right.

 

“I hate it when you're right.”

 

The kwami only beamed widely as his charge tapped the call button besides Marinette’s contact.

 

“Now if you wouldn't mind, I’d like some Camembert for all this good advice I've been giving!”

 

Adrien chuckled at that as the dial tone repeated for the second time. “You mean it's not free?”

 

“Nope!”

-

“I’ll talk to you later, Alya… Thanks…”

 

“Of course, girl! Let me know if you need anything. Ice cream. A sappy movie. Me to beat his ass, you name it!”

 

Marinette huffed out a laugh, “As tempting as that sounds… I think I'm just going to call it a night. See you tomorrow.”

 

“Alright, Mari. My offer still stands!”

 

The blue eyed girl sniffed and wiped at her wet eyes, a sad smile slipping onto her face, “Thanks.”

 

Click.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

It was entirely too silent in her room. Marinette knew that Tikki was asleep somewhere, cookie crumbs most likely falling out of the corner of her mouth and she had just ended the loud, boisterous presence of her best friend with a tap from her fingertip.

 

She felt… empty.

 

Marinette was drained. She felt as if she was a pitcher of water, filled to the brim with refreshing liquid only to be knocked over, clear liquid spilling everywhere and the intricate, delicate glass shattered.

 

Marinette flopped out of her seated position on her chaise, breathing deeply as she let the silence seep into her bones.

 

Only for it to be broken by the constant hum of her vibrating phone.

 

As Marinette flopped her hand around to find the source of the noise, _‘I_ **_just_ ** _put it down! Where could it have gone that fast?’,_ she wondered why Alya (or anyone for that matter) would be calling her back, she just got off the phone with her friend, what could she have forgo-

 

_Adrien <3 is calling… _

 

She didn’t expect for her to hit the end button so quickly, the picture of a selfie she and the blonde took a while back disappearing from the phone’s screen as quickly as it had popped up.

 

Only for it to pop up again immediately after.

 

This time Marinette couldn’t help but stare at the picture of her and the boy she (used to???) considered a close friend. It was taken during the summer of last year, Adrien contracted a job with his father’s company in Cannes and it was going to take up the better part of his summer vacation and while Nino and Alya agreed that it _sucked_ not to be able to enjoy summer vacation with their model friend, it was Marinette that suggested they make a day trip to Cannes and _if they happened to bump_ into Adrien why it would be _purely_ coincidental. Needless, to say he was more than ecstatic to see them during some down time on set (and thoroughly impressed that they managed to get to him without being tackled and he really hoped bribery wasn’t involved). The trio of friends packed a picnic to enjoy with their working friend, complete with treats from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Once it was time for them to leave, Adrien pulled Marinette back and told Nino and Alya to go on ahead.

 

_“Thanks so much, Marinette.”_

 

And while he thanked all of them profusely throughout lunch, the fact that he took Marinette aside to thank her personally… the ghost of a flutter spread across her chest, nowhere near as strong as it was that day.

 

_“N-no problem!”_

 

It was the first time she had stuttered around him in a while and she would have reprimanded herself for it if the brightness of his smile hadn’t distracted her. His green eyes vibrant and twinkling before crinkling close due to the width of his smile.

 

He looked so happy.

 

_“C’mon, let’s take a picture! I need to change my phone background anyway~”_

 

He had wrapped her arms around her shoulder, and Marinette could still feel the warmth of it flirting with the hairs on the back of her neck and mingling with the almost oppressive heat of that day. Adrien raised the phone to a flattering angle (their faces towards the sun, but the phone out of the way so it wouldn’t shadow the natural light), his smile focused on the small girl beside him before turning his head and flashing it at the phone’s camera. Marinette shuddered as she remembered the way his fingertips drew lazy circles on her arms as he tapped the shutter button.

 

She’d looked like she had a sunburn.

 

Before she could realize, the vibration had ended and the image was once again removed from the phone’s screen. Only to reveal that Adrien had called her....

 

Several times.

 

Nine times to be precise.

 

And he had left voice messages.

 

Seven voice messages within the last hour.

 

Marinette’s thumb hovered over the play button of the first message.

 

She was curious.

 

But she was also…

 

Angry?

 

Disappointed?

 

Petty?

 

Bitter?

What more did Adrien have to say to her? He clearly laid out his feelings to those boys earlier, probably exasperated with them because they were teasing him about why he spent so much time with her. And honestly, she could wonder the same thing. Why _did_ he spend so much time with her?

If he didn’t want to deal with that, all he had to do was talk to her. She would have given him space, would have stopped monopolizing all of his free time.

 

At the very least, she would have tried.

 

He just… He seemed so _angry_ . She could only wonder what the group of boys were saying to get him so riled up, so _irritated_ to yell with a rawness she rarely saw from the usually so composed teen.

 

 _“I don’t like her. She doesn’t like me. I DON’T think about her that way. She’s_ **_just_ ** _my friend. That’s it._ **_Nothing more._ ** _”_

 

Marinette’s heart clenched at the memory, her hand moving to place the phone away from her before she felt the device vibrate once more.

 

 _‘He must feel terrible.’_ The distraught girl thought idly, before pressing the end button. Her eyes flickering to the new notification as she received another message.

 

Maybe just _maybe_ … there was that small sliver of hope that….

 

Her finger grazed against the screen, accidentally swiping at the play button. The troubled girl jumped as the message began to play...

-

_*Hey, Marinette. I’m really sorry about what happened today. You were never meant to hear something like that. … Call me back, we really need to talk.*_

 

_*Hey, uh, Mari… it’s Adrien!... and you know that because I just called… but yeah just… let me know when you get this._

 

_*Mari… are you asleep…? I really don’t mean to… to uh… bug you like this…. I… we seriously have to talk.*_

 

 _*Marinette… shit, I just want to talk to you. Call me back._ **_Please_ ** _.*_

 

_*I… I’m so sorry… Marinette?*_

 

 _*Mari… I know that you’re upset and I can’t possibly imagine what you’re feeling right now, but I promise you if we talk we can fix this… I… you’re such a good friend, my_ **_best_ ** _friend. I… I don’t want to lose you…*_

 

_*M-Mari…? Mari, please…. Please, answer…*_

-

Adrien woke up with his face practically grafted to his cell phone, the black, locked screen glistening with saliva. He groaned as he rubbed at his eye, stretching and cracking his back as the memories of last night rushed back to him.

The model dragged his hand down his face, his eyes feeling deep set, dry and it was then that Adrien realized just how _tired_ he was. He couldn’t tell anyone when exactly he fell asleep, but between his silent sobs and the pleads he muttered into his phone’s receiver, sleep wasn’t the thing he was concerned about.

Adrien unlocked his phone and checked for notifications.

 

Nothing.

 

Nill.

 

Nada.

 

The young teen threw his phone back onto the bed, before slowly walking towards his bathroom. Had she even listened to his messages? Adrien knew he messed up, _he knew_ but he was trying and why couldn’t she see… !

 

 _“I don’t like her. She doesn’t like me. I DON’T think about her that way. She’s_ **_just_ ** _my friend. That’s it._ **_Nothing more._ ** _”_

 

The sudden onslaught of the memory took Adrien aback, clutching at his chest as if he had been directly punched there.

 

He was a fucking idiot.

-

The car ride to school was unbearable.

How was he going to talk to Marinette if she wouldn’t even answer his phone calls? How was he going to be able to focus in class knowing that she was upset? _How was he supposed to-?_

The concerned grunt from his driver was the only thing that alerted Adrien that they had reached their destination.

 

“Ah. Thanks!” Adrien jumped up, gathering his bag and rushing out of the car. “See you later!” He added with a forced smile.

 

The Gorilla gave the boy a lingering gaze before grunting affirmatively and waited for Adrien to shut the door before driving off to where he was needed next. The tense teenager sighed heavily, the plaster smile sliding off of his face as he gazed longingly at the bakery’s storefront across the street. Before he could think about it, his feet began to move in that direction leading him to the warm, inviting shop of the the Dupain-Cheng’s.

The familiar tinkling of the door’s bell filled Adrien with a feeling reminiscent of nostalgia. It had only been one day and the boy already missed Marinette’s presence so much. He was a fucking goner.

 

“Hi, Sabine!”Adrien waved cheerfully, his mood lifting slightly at the sight of the sweet, older woman.

 

“Oh, hello sweetie!” She answered, her head popping out from behind the counter, “How are you?” She asked sweetly.

 

“I’m okay.” It was hard for Adrien to pretend like _everything_ was okay with Sabine, the woman had a way of getting to the root of an issue without even saying a word. A skill her daughter picked up. “Is Marinette ready?” He asked hopefully.

 

Sabine gave him a confused look, her head cocked to the side as she passed him a fresh croissant (something she did each morning ever since he started walking Marinette to school), “You mean she didn’t tell you?”

 

Adrien’s eyebrow raised in confusion, he didn’t feel too good about this.

 

“Tell me what?”

 

“Oh!” Sabine covered her cheek with her hand, flour staining her creamy complexion. “Alya came to walk her over already.”

 

The croissant made practically no sound as it met the floor, Adrien’s hand clenching and unclenching as Sabine gasped.

 

“Oh…” He let out pathetically.

 

“Adrien… sweetie?” The smaller woman made to rub at his back but the young man flinched away from her, his eyes wide, as if he had seen a ghost. “Are you okay?”

 

Adrien visibly shook, was he okay? No. No way. Not in any way shape or form. “Yeah.” He answered quickly, a smile tentatively making its way onto his face. “I’m fine… I’ll see you sometime soon, okay?” He gave the woman a rushed hug, fearing that if he lingered in the embrace for too long he wouldn’t be able to leave the bakery in a composed fashion.

 

“Adrien?” Sabine called after him, but he was already half way across the street by the time she reached the front of the store.

 

All the concerned mother could do was stare after him and wonder, _what on earth happened?_

-     

The same chime that had welcomed him into the bakery now mocked him as he rushes out of the shop, bolting across the small cross walk towards the school building.

 _‘You’re such an idiot. Why did you ever think that she would_ **_wait_ ** _for you? You broke her heart._ **_You_ ** _fucked up. She wants nothing to do with you. God, you don’t even to deserve to be in the same roo-’_

In his distressed state, Adrien hadn’t noticed his surroundings, much less the people or person that he might run into.  

 

“Hey, what’s the ru-?”

 

Like Alya.

 

“Oh ho ho hoooo! Just the asshole I’m looking for!”

 

Correction: an Angry Alya.

  
He was fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was writting the tail end of this while writing some of chapter 3 and honestly... there's just more pain from this point on.


	3. Knock Knock. Get the Door, it's COMMUNICATION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone yells at Adrien, Adrien finally stops lying and holy shit people begin actually talking to each other woah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I actually finished this chapter pretty quickly after chapter 2, like a day after I last updated. But, I wanted to make ya'll suffer because I wouldn't be a good writer otherwise. Thank you so much for the comments and the feedback! Once again thanks to Krib and Jen for doing the beta thing and putting silly comments all over my doc, it's the highlight of my day

“So…” Alya began, a grin filled with malcontent across her face. “How’s life been since breaking my best friend’s heart?”

 

Adrien flinched at that. He should’ve seen this coming. Nothing he could do now but to take his tongue-lashing and try not to feel any shittier than he already did.

 

“Listen…” Adrien sighed heavily, “Alya, I-”

 

“I don’t want to hear it, okay?” The auburn haired girl interrupted. “I’m not here to listen to your sob story or how you realized you fucked up. Anyone could tell you that. Whatever. I’m here to protect my friend because you were too busy protecting your stupid image to be able to do your job as one of her closest friends.”

 

Okay, woah. That wasn’t fair. He was trying to help Marinette out! To get the idiots of this school to give her the respect she deserves, “Wait, Alya-”

 

“I’m not done.” She commanded sternly, an _‘Did I ask you to speak?’_ evident in her tone. “Alright, we all get it now. You’re not into Marinette like that. Sucks to suck.” Alya’s contradictory smile slipped off of her face as she continued, “But she’s still your _friend_ . Whatever those assholes said to upset you, you could’ve still told them how you felt about Marinette _without_ being a prick. And honestly, that’s the kind of thing we expect from you.”

 

“Alya, if you would ju-”

 

“Do you know how long we were on the phone for yesterday?” The redhead interrupted, her tone firm. “Five hours. All about you. And I’m pretty sure for a majority of that time she was just bawling her eyes out. I finally get her to calm down and she calls me back merely an hour or two later crying about how she feels _sooo_ bad for you because you sounded _soooo_ miserable. I’m running on like two hours of slee-!”

 

“Alya!” He cut her off, this was really getting out of hand. “This really isn’t-”

 

“No!” Alya’s stable tone wavering suddenly. “You don’t get to be angry with me Agreste! That’s not fair, especially after what you did to Marinette! You say that _shit_ about her and then you blow up her phone and just expect her to forgive you?”

 

“No! I-”

 

“Whatever.” Alya interjected, raising her hand up to his face. “I’m done with this conversation.” She looked _disgusted_ with him. “Don’t talk to me. Don’t even look at me, And don’t even _think_ about coming near Marinette. If you can manage to maybe not fuck that up, maybe we can make it through the rest of the day.” She finished with a grimace, her face intimidatingly close to his own before she shoved past him.

 

“Alya…” He called out weakly to her before banging his head on the nearest wall.

-

Adrien entered the classroom, his hair disheveled and his skin missing its usual glow and homeroom hadn’t even started yet. The model took his usual seat by Nino, sparing a small wave at his friend who merely glanced up at him before pointedly looking away from the blonde.

 

Adrien was just on a roll today, he ruined another important friendship before he could even open his mouth, someone get this kid a medal. Adrien settled into his seat, pulling out his tablet and trying his hardest to find some sense of normalcy within today. The empty seat behind him spilling whispers and rumors of the whereabouts of the usually chipper girl and the lack of new notifications on his phone mocking him for not being able to know immediately. It was fine. She had ten minutes until homeroom started.

-

Two minutes before class started, Alya and Marinette rushed through the door, the aforementioned girl’s arm wrapped around the blue eyed teen.

 

She looked _terrible_.

 

_‘You did that.’_

 

Her hair was messy and hastily put up into a last minute ponytail, strands of hair flushing against her tear stained cheeks and her lips were chapped.

 

The only reason why he noticed her eyes were so watery and _red_ were because they connected with his own for a split second before Alya yanked her from her frozen position in front of his seat, her honey eyes boring into his electric green before mouthing,

 

_‘Stop. Fucking. Up.’_

 

“You look like shit, bro.” Nino’s voice shook the boy out of his stupor, making him whip his head towards the bronze toned teen.

 

“Thanks.” Adrien muttered dejectedly before turning his attention back towards the front, tuning into the teacher’s greeting for today.

 

The blonde could hear some hissing and whispers exchanged between his friend and his girlfriend before Alya finally huffed back into her seat.

“Let’s talk.” Nino stated simply, before slipping out of his seat as their homeroom teacher wrapped up addressing the soon to be graduated class and enjoying her own down time before having to proctor a mathematics exam later in the day.

 

Adrien sighed (Jeez, he had been doing that a lot.) before slipping out himself in order to find Nino, who wasn’t too far away. The aspiring DJ looking up at his friend from the bottom of the staircase.

 

“So,” Nino started as Adrien reached the bottom step, “I heard you fucked up.”

 

Adrien took in a deep breath. _Do not blow up at Nino._ **_You’re_ ** _the one who fucked up. Try to explain what happened without sounding like an asshole._ “Yes. I fucked up. I _fucked_ up. I honestly don’t need to hear it from anyone else today.  Alya did more than enough of that for you, me, or Mar-...Marinette.” Welp. _‘There goes not trying to sound like an asshole.’_ Adrien thought as he fumbled over the nickname that he felt he lost the privilege to use.

 

“What happened?” Nino asked.

 

“Alya didn’t tell you?” Adrien retorted back, a hint of snark hidden in his response. He loved the girl but she really did have a big mouth.

 

“I’m asking you.”

 

Adrien shrugged, “You already know.” What reason did he have to defend himself _now?_ What good would it do him?

 

“Adrien.” Nino stated firmly. “I know what Alya told me. I’m asking _you_.” The stern look in the boy’s eyes softened, clearly concerned for his troubled friend. “What happened?”

 

Was he really, _finally_ being given the opportunity to explain himself? It had been the first time since the incident he wasn’t faced with complete silence or misdirected (though entirely righteous) anger.

 

“There…” Adrien began. “There were these guys, after gym class. They were all crowding around and they were saying-” Adrien paused, taking a moment to breathe and release the tension from his hands and shoulders. “They were saying lewd things about Marinette and that… that just wasn’t cool! Like she’s a person! Not some mannequin or twisted, sex freak doll that they get to just impose their fantasies on, ya know?” Adrien paused once more as if to wait for a response to his question even though he delved right back into his rant. “So, I went over there and told them to stop. And after I asked once I thought it was the end of it, but then they started heckling me and saying shit like I was her boyfriend and I had to have… have- have _fucked_ her at least once and just…! She’s not just some passing fuck! She’s not something to “hit and quit” or whatever! She’s my friend, _my_ Marinette and God, yes I _want_ her but I would never, _ever_ want her to feel like that’s the only reason that we’re friends and the way they were talking to me… I couldn’t take it! So, I lied! I **_lied and I fucked up_ ** …” Adrien huffed out, his breath coming irregularly as he slid down the wall, his hands pressed against his eyes.

 

“ _Wow._ ” Nino drew out, making his distraught friend glare up at him. “How long have you been holding that in?”

 

“...Since yesterday.” The blonde admitted sadly.

 

“And you haven’t been able to talk to Marinette?”

 

“She won’t talk to me!” Adrien blew up, exasperated, his arms making wild gestures as he spoke. “I called her _so many_ times yesterday. I woke up with my phone practically sewn to my cheek! And there’s no way I can get her alone, not with Alya around.”

 

“Woah.” The bespectacled young man placated, “Calm down, bro.” He reached his hand out to Adrien’s, yanking the young man to his feet. “Listen. I’ll talk to Alya. Tell her what you told me.” He patted at his friend’s shoulder comfortingly. “We’ll figure this out, okay. No one wants to see the two of you upset. You’re our friend.”

 

Adrien… Adrien really needed to hear that, because with the way his day had been going, he was really starting to worry that he lost the friends he worked so hard to gain. He pulled Nino into an embrace, mashing his nose into his friend’s ( _his_ **_friend_ ** ) shoulder.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Adrien could feel the smile slip onto the other boy’s face, “Of course.” He rubbed at his back, giving his friend the comfort he so desperately needed.

 

For the first time since yesterday, Adrien felt that maybe… maybe everything would be okay.

 

Both boys jumped apart at the shrill sound of screams coming from the upper level of the school.

 

Of fucking course. Now he had this to deal with.

 

 _‘Well, what else can go to shit today?’_ Adrien thought harshly as he bolted for the bathroom, Nino calling after him.

-

Chat Noir scaled to the roof of the school, flipping himself over the ledge and landing expertly. His calculating eyes observing the scene before him.

 

“I AM _NIGHT OWL_ !” Yelled the recent akuma victim. “ _Everyone_ complains about not getting enough sleep, so now you all will sleep FOREVER!” The large, feathered victim laughed uproariously and taking to the sky.

 

 _‘Could this day get anymore ridiculous?’_ The frustrated teen thought, usually the superhero could find some sort of hilarity, and definitely freedom in each time he had to deal with an akuma. But… honestly? Today was just not the best day to tug at the kitten’s tail.

 

“It’s day time, dude.” Chat deadpanned.

 

The akumatized villain sharply turned his head (all the way around like an owl’s, _it was creepy_ ), before grinning widely, “Time to go night night, Chat Noir~” The owlified man paused, the telltale sign of Hawkmoth communicating with him appearing over his face. “Before getting a good night’s rest like a good kitty, hand over your miraculous!”

 

“I don’t know what Winnie the Pooh did to upset you this time,” The hero began snarkily, “But, I think all of Paris would appreciate it if you just flapped yourself back to Hundred Acre Woods.”

 

Night Owl screeched powerfully, aiming the sound towards Chat Noir, who barely dodged the vibrations. It was then that Ladybug landed next to her partner, yo-yo already in full swing.

 

Though she had only arrived, Chat could tell that she was… off.

 

“C’mon Chat. No games.” She sighed heavily, before latching her yo-yo onto a ledge on the other side of the building. “Let’s just get this over with.”

 

She zipped across the structure, distracting the akuma while leaving her partner in a mild state of shock. She didn’t greet him cheerfully as she usually did, no witty banter, no sarcastic remarks, no playful eyerolls… The leather clad hero shook his head free of these thoughts. Adrien’s insecurities couldn’t - _wouldn’t_ interfere with his responsibility as Chat Noir.

 

He merely followed his lady, like he always did. She always had a plan.

-

It would seem that Ladybug’s plan was to just fling herself in the general vicinity of the victim until she could come up with a better one.

 

“What are you _doing_?” Chat yelled at her as she landed sloppily at his side once more.

 

“Just shut up and follow my lead!” The spotted hero growled at him, preparing to throw her yo-yo once more before her partner grabbed for her hand. “Let me go!”

 

He pulled her away from the scene, paying little heed to her objections as he lead her to a closed off part of the school. “Okay. So, it’s obvious we all need a cat nap.”

 

She glared at him.

 

“Sorry.” He raised his hands in a pacifying gesture before he gave her a look of concern. “Seriously, what’s up with you? Why won’t you talk to me?” What had he done now? Did he accidentally say something to upset his lady, as well? He really didn’t need to lose anymore friends today.

 

Ladybug sighed, the already small girl seeming to lose inches as they spent seconds in a thick silence.

 

This was… new.

 

“I…” She began, “I got into a fight with a really good friend of mine.” She scrunched up her nose at that. “Not so much a fight as… I… I overheard him, my friend, saying some stuff about me and it…” She paused, taking a moment to gather herself. “It really upset me.” Her eyes avoided his own, choosing instead to focus on the pebbles beneath their feet. She huffed indignantly after a moment, “It shouldn’t even be bothering me like this. C’mon, Chat.” She scoffed bitterly, making to brush past him before Chat rested his hand on her bicep and making eye contact.

 

“Have you told him that?” The teen asked softly.

 

“Told him what?” Ladybug asked, irritated and itching to get back to the fight, the akuma’s incessant hooting was quickly becoming _unbearable._

 

“That you’re upset.” It wasn’t a question. He said it so simply, so truthfully, the heroine turned towards him, her wide blue eyes meeting his striking green.

 

“Oh.” She squeaked out sadly, her ocean eyes flickering to the ground. “He knows. I… I made it pretty… obvious…”

 

“And?”

 

“And what?” The dejection in her voice didn’t sit well with him. If they didn’t have this victim to deal with, Chat would have definitely payed a visit to this _friend_ of hers.

 

“What happened?”

 

“Is this really the time Chat?!” Ladybug asked indignantly, she really didn’t want to deal with this, not now.

 

“I’m not going to keep letting you fling yourself _willy nilly_ at some cranky bird.” Chat stepped closer to his partner, making a point in keeping eye contact with her. “You need to talk. So, talk to me.” He grabbed her shoulders, for whose benefit, neither of them were sure, “Tell me what’s wrong, Ladybug.”

 

The thundering flaps and shrill screams from the akuma victim could be heard just aways from their hiding spot. They _really_ should get back to saving Paris.

 

“I… Chat, we really…”

 

“Ladybug, please…” The way he said please reminded the superheroine so much of Adrien, the longing to hear an answer, to talk to someone.

 

“I… I really like this friend- I’m in love with him-”

 

“Even now?” He cut her off, simply asking the question. No accusation, no judgement. He only wanted simple honesty. And even after everything, sobbing her eyes out for the better part of last night, having Alya drag her out of bed, she found that her answer didn’t actually surprise her.

 

“Yes.”

 

She was only surprised by how easily it slipped past her lips.

 

“But?” Her partner pressed.

 

Ladybug took in a deep breath, her eyes flickering to the floor once more. She could trust Chat, she could _trust_ him, that’s what their whole partnership was based on. Her eyes crawled back to meet his own before she began,“He… I…” She sighed. This was _hard_ . “I overheard him say something about me and I… he said he didn’t love me, that he wasn’t in love with me, which okay I should have seen coming honestly. But…” She really hated the way her breath caught on itself. “It made me feel… like he didn’t think I was special, like our relationship was a- burden! Like- I… I tried _so_ hard to become friends with him, _just friends_ I didn’t care if he reciprocated my feelings or whatever!” The spotted hero tried desperately to ignore the rolling stream of liquid spilling from her eyes. Had she not cried herself out today? “But… but I thought-! I thought we became really close and for him to say what he said I-!... I just don’t know anymore.”

 

“Ladybug…” She felt his hands twitch at her shoulders, before his arms replaced them, one hand relocating to the back of her head and the other to her upper back. She nuzzled her nose into his chest, her gloved fingers clutching at his back. They stayed like that for a while, tuning out the sound of the akuma and the snores it was causing, needing a few moments to themselves and to have their partner hold them.

 

“Have you told him that?” The leather clad superhero asked after a while.

 

“What?” Ladybug rubbed at her eyes as she separated from his embrace.

 

“Did you tell him how upset it made you?”

 

The heroine’s breath hitched before she pointedly looked away from her kitten. Said kitten moved into her line of vision, his gaze concerned. He was really worried for her.

 

“There’s no way you’re going to fix what happened between you two if you don’t speak to each other.” He began sternly, before faltering. “I… I messed up with a friend of mine recently, like _seriously fucked up._ And… I’ve been trying to reach out to her but she’s been incredibly upset and if this guy is as good as a friend as you think or at least thought he was, he probably wants to fix this mess between you two, but you _have_ to talk to him. I…” Chat paused, releasing some tension and trying his hardest to hold back the sob on his tongue. “My day’s been terrible… I just want her to talk to me…”

 

“Kitten…” Ladybug trailed off before gathering him into her arms. “I’ll talk to him, but promise me that you’ll try your hardest to make your friend listen. You seem like you really care about her and I hate it when my kitty is sad.” She smiled warmly, feeling the pressure of the day lighten up, if even just the tiniest bit.

 

Chat Noir smiled tearfully, placing a hand on his chest. “Cat’s honor.”  

 

Ladybug laughed, the tinkling sound filling the atmosphere with a warmness the boy had missed in the last few hours. “Good Kitty~” She detached her yo yo from her waist, a look of determination slipping onto her face. “Now, let’s go capture that akuma.”

 

The rambunctious superhero gave an enthusiastic nod, “After you, My Lady!”

-

And with that, the crime fighting duo were back on track, apprehending the victim not too long after their talk. It didn’t take long to use lucky charm (a water bottle, of all things), free and cleanse the akuma and use _Miraculous Ladybug_ to revert any damage the victim (who was revealed to be M. Damocles- he had been having a stressful week) had caused. It wasn’t too long after that the warning beeps of their miraculous chimed, causing the two heroes to jump.

 

“Welp!” Chat Noir piped up cheerfully, the success of another win running through his veins. “It looks like our time is up, my Lady~” He saluted her with two fingers, getting in position to launch off of the building. “Till next time!”

 

“Chat, wait!” Ladybug grabbed for his arm, her eyes filled with urgency.

 

“What’s up?” The blonde’s eyebrow quirked, giving his hero friend a confused look. “We don’t have much time, we’re about to detr-”

 

“I just wanted to say thank you.” The spotted heroine blurted out. “F-for talking with me… it helped… a lot.”

 

Chat Noir smiled softly, “Of course, Ladybug.” He pulled her into another embrace. “You’re my friend. I’ve been losing too many of those lately… I don’t want to lose you either.” He admitted sadly, nuzzling his nose into her hair, the smell of vanilla and lavender tickling his nostrils.

 

“Of course you wouldn’t lose me,” Ladybug pulled her head away from his chest, finding his eyes and filling her gaze with determination. “And you’re not going to lose this friend either. Make her listen, Chat. You’re too good of a friend to lose. She’ll realize that.”

 

Chat could only wrap his arms around her once more, tighter this time, as he muffled a “Thank you…” into her shoulder.

 

At the beep of their miraculous, Chat separated from her letting his hands slide to her shoulders, “Don’t forget to talk to _your_ friend. I’m sure he wants to fix this. Just give him a chance to explain himself.”

 

Ladybug nodded slowly, “I’ll try.” A small smile slipped onto her face, paying no mind to the rapid beeping of her earrings as she pressed her lips to her partner’s cheek. “Thank you, kitty.”

 

And like that, she was gone.

 

Chat’s face flushed red before simmering down to a pink as he looked longingly in the direction she zipped off in. “Of course, Ladybug.” He whispered to the sky that carried the color of his partner’s eyes before he too took to the rooftops of Paris.

 

He had some planning to do.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I said there was communication I never said that it would be direct :^) I hope you enjoyed, let me know what you think~ Also I realized or at least I don't think I ever said that I can be found over at queen-korri.tumblr.com if you ever want to drop by and chat!


	4. I Came Out to Have A Good Time and Honestly I Just Feel So Attacked rn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which arguing, planning, and apologizing happens. As always, I give the real big thank you to Mama Krib and bae Jen, like seriously I love these two, they help me out so much. Also, thank you to everyone who has left a comment, I want you to know that I read each one and respond mentally but always forget to do the actual thing XD. But I seriously do appreciate each comment, view, bookmark and kudo. You guys are great~

After releasing his transformation and texting Natalie that he was indeed safe and he would be home soon, the model made his way to the Agreste mansion, his head filled with the words of advice that Ladybug had given him.

 

_"Make her listen, Chat."_

 

And she was right, Adrien knew that he had to make Marinette listen to him, to let her know that this was just some huge, _overblown,_ **_ridiculous_ ** misunderstanding.

 

He knew that.

 

The question was _How?_

 

Adrien thunked his head against his desk, crumpled papers strewn about his work space as the blonde continued to bang his head against the table. He had been working on coming up with a solid, fool-proof plan ever since he set foot in the expansive mansion.

 

“Could you maybe do the forlorn lover thing _some other time?!”_ Muttered a grumpy Plagg, he was just beginning to doze off and the kwami didn’t need his sleep to be interrupted by his charge’s love sickened moans of despair.

 

“ _Plaaaagg,_ ” the teen groaned, his voice muffled by the table his face was pressed against. “Why is this so _hard_?”

 

“Because you're an idiot.” The kwami quipped, eager to get to his nap. The troubled boy threw a steely glare at the tiny creature, he could use that ancient being wisdom at _any_ point right about now.

 

“Seriously.” The boy deadpanned, he would accept any and all help at this point.

 

“I am serious!” Plagg let out exasperated, there went his dreams of a peaceful afternoon nap. He didn’t deserve this. “Both of you. Idiots.”

 

“Hey!” Adrien tensed though for what reason he wasn’t sure, his Must-Protect-Princess-At-All-Costs mechanism jumping into overdrive even though Plagg was barely a threat to Marinette’s integrity. What point was he trying to prove?

 

“Soooorrryyyyy,” The tiny kwami drawled out sarcastically before muttering, “Didn't mean to badmouth your _girlfriend…_ ”

 

“Quit it!” Adrien responded sternly, “Or did you forget stuff like that is what got me into this mess?”

 

“No!” Plagg responded in kind, his voice filled with an emotion Adrien couldn’t quite place. “It was _you_ being too caught up in your own self that got you in this mess!”

 

“What is that supposed to mean?!” The teen had stood up by this point, his fists and jaw clenched with a muddled tension. Where was all of this animosity coming from? Was Plagg against him as well? He had been there!

 

The kwami in question scoffed, his arms crossed and visage as unpleasant as he probably felt “You _moan_ and _groan_ and _drag_ yourself around going on and _oooon_ about how you're in love with your best friend and _she's so great Plagg_ and _she's so beautiful, I love her so much Plagg!_ But have you ever done anything about it?” Plagg was past exasperated at this point and edging close to infuriated, “I don't get how you two are so close but you never actually _talk!_ You just dance around each other!”

 

“Well, Plagg I'm trying!” The distressed boy yelled back, the level of his voice getting away from him as he reminded himself that there were still people in the house that would wonder just exactly who he was yelling at. “I’m **trying**.” Adrien said through clenched teeth as he gestured to the crumpled papers around him.

 

“No, you're stalling!” The kwami sighed as he too gestured to the mountain of papers.

 

“Well, what do you think I should do?” Adrien sighed dejectedly, throwing himself back into his computer chair.

 

“ _Talk to her!_ ” Plagg hissed, sounding on the verge of ripping out his own fur.

 

“I. Tried.” Adrien muttered, his face currently buried into the palms of his hands.

 

“Oh, yes!” Plagg piped up, snapping his paws (however that worked) as if a lightbulb lit up above his bulbous head. “I forgot about you crying into your phone at one in the morning, _so sorry…_ ” The small creature paused before uttering bitterly, “because that's such an easy image to forget.”

 

“Why are you being such a dick about this?!” Adrien tore his head out of his hands, his imploring gaze finding his kwami’s glare. Why was he being so _weird_? Plagg never really pressed Adrien about this stuff, romantic talk wasn’t something the kwami was particularly interested in. So why was he being so adamant about this?

 

“Because I'm sick of watching you tear yourself apart when the answer is so simple.”

 

Now that Adrien was really looking at him, the kwami’s glare was much less that and more of a look of stern concern.

 

Adrien was hit with the realization that Plagg was worried about him. Adrien always knew that his kwami cared about him, he had been there for plenty of nights that the blonde filled his sheets with silent tears, but for Plagg to be so outwardly concerned and to have obviously been bottling his emotions up until this point must have meant that the tiny creature was exceptionally worried about his chosen.  

 

“Stop dancing around her and just _get to the point._ ” Plagg was tired of this, he just wanted his happy Adrien back, he’d take love sick Adrien over hurting Adrien any day.

 

And while Adrien extremely appreciated the concern, he didn’t get how he thought fixing this dilemma should be so easy. “Plagg she-! She can barely look at me! I _want_ to talk to her, _I want to,_ but if she won't even answer my calls, my texts-! How can I expect her to talk to me face to face?”

 

And that was where Plagg was stuck, because the kwami could see that his poor idiot was trying, even though he funneled his energy towards unnecessary things (Plagg didn't even want to know how physics would be involved with Adrien’s plans but it was written all over those papers). But, no matter how hard Adrien tried, Marinette still had to receive his efforts and that couldn't happen if she refused to speak to the boy.

 

Adrien jumped as his phone rang, the incredibly inappropriate song ( _Bromance_? Really, Nino?) dispersing the tense atmosphere between the teen and his kwami. Adrien tapped the answer button after giving Plagg a sidelong glance, “Yeah?”

 

“Adrien!” Nino’s bright tone easily detectable on the other side of the receiver. “Glad I got you. Hey can you make it to the park, you know the one. Someone wants to speak to you.”

 

Adrien immediately tensed at that.

 

Did Nino…?

 

“I can be there in 15 minutes.”

 

“Awesome! See you soon.”

 

There was no time to ask questions. Adrien pocketed his phone and opened his shirt, allowing Plagg to lazily float into the breast pocket.

 

His kwami was right.

 

It was time to stop dancing around.

 

He was going to face this head on.

 

-

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Well.

 

Adrien definitely didn't expect this.

 

“Alya… “

 

He honestly shouldn't have jumped to conclusions.

 

Alya continued, her wide eyes and proud voice filled with something akin to regret, “Nino told me everything- or at least what you told him and… Look, I know I was pissed at you and that I said some _messed up_ stuff, but you’re my friend and I want to help you. And I especially want to help Mari.”

 

Adrien was silent.

 

This…

 

This wasn't what he expected.

 

But, he didn't have a better plan, and at least Marinette would speak to Alya and Nino.

 

“Adrien…?” The auburn haired girl’s face was full of concern, the irony of the situation failing to escape the boy in question.

 

Adrien shook his head, as if dispelling an intrusive thought as a pensive look slipped onto his face, “Sorry… Just-… thinking…”

 

“Look, I don't know what more to say for you to even _begin_ to consider forg-”

 

“Consider yourself forgiven.” Adrien cut her off with a warm smile.

 

Alya paused mid-rant, her honey eyes wide as she uttered an, “Oh.”

 

“Seriously,” Adrien began, “Don't worry about it, if someone else had upset Marinette like I had, I'd be just as pissed as you were.” He finished lamely.

 

“Yeah but at least that person would’ve probably deserved it.” She countered.

 

“Oh,” the model chuckled sadly, “I deserved it.”

 

“Yeah, but I didn't know the whole story.” Alya said with a sense of finality. “You're a good friend, Adrien. I shouldn't have doubted you.”

 

Adrien was… touched. The fact that Alya was willing to listen to him and help him rebuild his relationship with Marinette was a bit much to process all at one time. Just earlier that day, she was cutting him off and leaving him out to dry, so for this sudden turn around after a simple explanation… it gave him hope.

 

“...Thanks.”

 

“ _Buuuuut_ ,” Alya started with a teasing lilt, “I do think you'd make a better boyfriend~”

 

“Alya…!” Adrien tensed as Nino let out a strangled yell; he told her not to say anything about that!

 

“But,” The energetic girl interjected, quickly changing the topic, “Let's just focus on getting you and Mari on _speaking terms_ again, I'm a little sick of seeing you guys mope around each other and it's barely even been a full day.”

 

Adrien looked into his friend’s sincere honey eyes, the fire of determination burning bright within them and he found he couldn't help but smile at her.

 

“Yeah.” The taller boy hummed lightly, a bright smile warming up his face, “Yeah, I'd like that.”

 

Alya’s smile only widened, the brightness and warmth of it mimicking that of the afternoon sun and Adrien was hit with the realization that he wasn't alone. Yes, Alya may have been mad at him but they were friends, even she had said so.

 

Alya was his friend.

 

Nino was his friend.

 

And Marinette?

 

Marinette was the light of his life, the spring in his winter, the smell of fresh baked bread when he was hungry.

 

But most importantly…

 

Marinette was his friend.

 

And he wasn't going to lose her.

 

-

 

Adrien was losing his mind.

 

After that meeting in the park, he, Nino and Alya had been coming up with several foolproof plans in order to get Marinette to speak to the idiot who might have possibly ruined the best relationship in his life.

 

Each which had resulted in never being initiated because Marinette kept running away.

 

At first, they had tried to get Marinette to meet them at the park yesterday (after all apologies had been said and planning had begun), but she either must have seen Adrien before entering or had just decided not to come all together because she never showed up.

 

After a few minutes of waiting for her, the three of them decided that if she wasn't going to come to them, they would go to her, and they made the very short trek to the bakery. Tom and Sabine were beyond delighted to see the group of friends, Sabine throwing Adrien a concerned glance before she went upstairs to announce their arrival. The petite woman came back shortly, sadly stating that, “Marinette isn’t feeling too well, she said she doesn't want to see anyone.” The caring mother gave a remorseful smile, handing the teens a few cookies as she apologized.

 

Adrien gave a last ditch effort, calling Marinette that night (despite the fact that his results from last night proved to be less than fruitful).

 

And she had answered.

 

If only for a split second.

 

The line went dead before he could let out a single syllable.

 

But that proved at the very least she did _want_ to talk to him, just that… _something_ was stopping her. The blonde fell asleep with a small glimmer of hope that maybe he could actually salvage the most important friendship of his adolescent life.

 

It was the next day that seemed to squash any and all hope that he had.

 

All day, the scheming trio had been trying to corner the sly Marinette, but she was incredibly clever and extremely evasive.

 

At the beginning of the day, Alya and Adrien switched seats, leaving no choice but for Marinette to sit next to the blonde. When Marinette finally arrived, she instead, without taking a pause, headed straight for the back and slid herself next to Ivan, an indignant look on her face.

 

At lunch, Alya grabbed the girl, babbling excitedly and distractedly walking Marinette towards a café where Nino and Adrien would meet them, but before the two girls could step in that direction, Marinette had unwrenched herself and muttered something about catching up on homework and ran towards the bakery before Alya could stop her.

 

At the end of the day, all three of them tried to engage Marinette into casual conversation but the flighty girl had already packed up her things and was out the door by the time the bell rang.

 

Any and all chances Adrien had had that day were squashed, creamed and decimated into the dirt and he had gotten no farther in fixing this mess with Marinette and it was just… _frustrating!_

 

The boy sighed, the dawn of a new day creeping in through his windows.

 

He wasn’t going to give up.

 

He was going to make her listen.

 

He just had to try harder.

 

-

 

Marinette was losing her mind.

 

Ever since her discussion with Chat during the akuma attack, she couldn't get his words out of her head.

 

_“There’s no way you’re going to fix what happened between you two if you don’t speak to each other.”_

 

And she tried! Boy, had she _tried,_ she even planned to confront Adrien and ask him exactly _what the hell_ she had walked in on just a few days ago.

 

 _God,_ it had only been a few days without his companionship and she was _drowning_.

 

She missed him.

 

Marinette growled to herself, clutching at her hair in the comfort of the girl’s restroom.

 

If she missed him so much then why was this so _hard?_

 

And she knew that he was trying. He had been trying to talk to her ever since the incident and she just _wouldn't-!_

 

She was acting worse than her _collège_ self, at least then she tried to utter some form of a sentence around him!... Now, anytime she saw him… she just felt like she was choking on her own oxygen, choking on the pressure of the much needed conversation and she wanted, _needed_ air.

 

So, she’d run.

 

She'd run every single time.

 

The dark haired girl sighed heavily and played with the ends of her hair before turning on the faucet and splashing her face with some water, class would end in fifteen minutes and it was the last class of the day so she should definitely not skip. No, nope, not at all.

 

Before she could even consider the notion, a very peeved and disgruntled best friend burst into the bathroom, grabbed Marinette’s arm (who could only let out a strangled “Alya-!”) before dragging said girl into the hallway and eventually into their classroom.

 

A very empty classroom.

 

It would seem class had gotten out early.

 

“Grab your stuff, I'll be waiting for you outside.” The auburn girl ordered tersely, leaving the room before Marinette could respond.

 

The raven-haired girl sighed, packing up her things gingerly and deliberately in order to stretch the time in between leaving the room and meeting up with Alya who was very clearly upset about her behavior (though for what reason she wasn't quite sure). Marinette was so lost in her thoughts that she had barely registered the sound of the classroom door opening and closing, it was only when the person cleared their throat that she had responded to their presence.

 

The girl let out a breath, preparing herself for whatever speech Alya was cooking up for her. “I’m almost done, be out in a second A-...” Marinette looked up from her bag as she moved to settle it on her back, her eyes expecting to meet the honey brown of her annoyed friend.

 

“... _drIEN?!_ ”

 

The mulled, summer green and swoop of blond hair was definitely a surprise.

 

“Hey.” The model waved weakly, his meek smile slipping into a pensive frown, “We…” Adrien exhaled through his nose, and taking a moment before he began again, “We should talk.”

 

Shit.

 

_Shit._

 

Marinette didn’t even notice that her bag had begun to slip down her arm until the items she had placed so carefully into it clattered on the floor.

 

She was _so_ going to kill Alya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I actually had a hard time writing this chapter but I think it's where it needs to be for the purpose it serves. Also, these two will finaaaalllllyyyy talk.
> 
> Maybe.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> So, I blame for Krib for each and every letter that's typed here. But, I also really wanted to explore this aspect of Marinette and Adrien's relationship. Soooo, yeah! Here is the thing. Please enjoy~


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